The book Pillars of Prosperity is a collection of speeches and essays by Ron Paul that lay out his “views of the proper role of government, namely that it should serve only to protect the life and property of its citizens.” In a 1984 speech (page 3) he shows the folly of big government and how it is perpetuated by the politicians. The problems of big government stem from the ease in which they are duped into supporting bad policy. Ron Paul points out that:

the politician, per se, is a lot less important than he appears. He is basically a puppet of public opinion that reflects the prevailing ideas of the intellectual and thought leaders.

Bob Inglis, the Republican congressman from South Carolina, gives an excellent example of this in his votes for the bailout bill. He rejected sound economics that predicted the crisis. He rejected free market solutions that would have eliminated the problem. He failed to realize that current government involvement by congress and the fed means that we have nothing more than a centrally planned “free market” (socialism). He said that doing something was better than nothing while blindly following the socialist elite who said that the bailout was the only way.

Unfortunately as Ron Paul continues to explain:

Political success is the single goal that drives participants in our political system. No invitations to participants are sent to men of principle, upholders of equal rights, and defenders of the Constitution. Determined political aspirations under today’s circumstances are key to achieving a successful political career—the career being an end in itself. We must be aware that this system of politics is not conducive to bringing about changes necessary to solve our problems. The legislative and political intrigues that control the system for the benefit of the special interests must one day come to an end if personal liberty is to be restored.

We all must realize that no President or member of Congress will ever save us from our problems. Central planning to prevent chaos will always turn into centrally planned chaos. This chaos makes the politican think that he just needs to do more and that is always the wrong answer.